The animation of Sylvain Chomet’s latest, A Magnificent Life, is immersive. There isn’t a moment when I wanted to look away from the screen. Chomet’s animation has always been a standout, but the US version of the film loses something in translation: a spark, emotion… something that would have made it less of a dry and by-the-book story of Marcel Pagnol’s life.
Based on the true story of Pagnol, a famed French writer, A Magnificent Life follows him (voiced by Tom Hiddleston in the US version), now in his early 60s, as he attempts to write a weekly column about his life. He’s stuck, unable to recall memories of his childhood. When he’s visited by a vision of his younger self, it helps him dislodge the memories of his life to start writing.
Pagnol was from Marseilles but had big dreams to move to Paris to write and make a name for himself. The characters often discuss the differences between Marseilles and Paris — notably, the disparate accents. At one point, Marcel is astonished by how his friend managed to get rid of his Marseilles-specific accent to blend in more with others. The significance of this is completely erased when watching the film in English. The US version would have benefited from using subtitles instead of new voice actors for the roles. Pagnol was French, and the French language was pivotal to his work. Removing French is not only distracting but also disengages us from Pagnol’s work.
There’s a deep sense of nostalgia embedded in the story. You’ll come alive watching moments from Pagnol’s life. His memories color the film’s every frame, pronounced in the animation’s brushes of light and exaggerated character features. It makes for an exuberant watch, even if it’s also a muted, frustrating one. While a part of that frustration stems from the English dialogue, it also comes from a shallow reading of Pagnol’s life. His romantic relationships are glossed over, friendships barely register, and emotional moments, including at least two significant deaths, don’t land as prominently or effectively as they needed to to work.
This lack of depth gives the impression that the intricacies of Pagnol’s life don’t matter. Yes, it’s about his writing career, but not even that is given a proper spotlight. We get glimpses into his work and what it meant, but it doesn’t delve any further. It’s a shame, too, because Pagnol dipped his toes into so much — he wrote plays, poems, and was a filmmaker — and it would have added so much more had it gotten more focus. One might walk away from this film feeling like Pagnol’s life was within reach, but a barrier prevents us from fully engaging with it.
It’s an issue with several biopics; they don’t treat their subjects as fully realized people, and it comes off as more of a tribute than insight into who they were. A Magnificent Life suffers the same fate. So while the film is visually rich, it falls short thanks to surface-level storytelling and a refusal to keep it in French. And yet, its animation is splendid enough to keep you watching. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Rating: C+
Level of Enthusiasm: 45%
